Skip to main content

Claude Desktop integration

Copy for LLM

Connect Claude Desktop to the Apify MCP server to give your conversations access to thousands of Actors from Apify Store. Once connected, Claude can search for, run, and retrieve results from Actors directly in your chat.

Help keep this page up to date

This integration uses a third-party service. If you find outdated content, please submit an issue on GitHub.

Prerequisites

Connect to Apify

Choose one of the following methods:

The remote server at https://mcp.apify.com is the recommended way to connect. Key advantages:

  • Automatic updates - always runs the latest version of the Apify MCP server
  • OAuth authentication - secure sign-in through your browser, no API token needed
  • No local dependencies - nothing to install or maintain on your machine

To set up the remote server, add a custom connector in Claude Desktop and use https://mcp.apify.com as the server URL.

On first connection, your browser opens to sign in to Apify and authorize the connection.

One-click installation

Search for "Apify" in the Claude Desktop connector directory and install the connector.

Alternatively, download and open the Apify MCP server .mcpb file to register the connector automatically.

Verify the connection

  1. Restart Claude Desktop after saving configuration changes.
  2. Open a new conversation.
  3. Check that Apify tools are available in the tools list.
  4. Test with a prompt like: "Search for web scraping Actors on Apify."

Troubleshooting

If the steps below don't resolve your issue, submit a GitHub issue or contact Apify support.

Tools fail to load

The MCP server shows as connected but Apify tools don't appear in the tools list, or Claude doesn't recognize any Apify tools in conversation.

  • Check tool permissions. Individual connector tools can be blocked in your connector settings. Verify that Apify tools are set to Always allow or Ask first, not blocked.
  • Check the connector version. Claude Desktop may silently downgrade the connector to an older version. If tools aren't appearing despite the connector showing as enabled, remove and re-add the connector to trigger an update.
  • Restart Claude Desktop. Configuration changes only take effect after a restart.
  • Reinstall the connector. Remove the Apify connector and add it again.

Authentication errors

Authentication errors occur when the MCP server can't verify your identity. You may see "Unauthorized" or "Invalid token" messages, or Actor runs may fail silently.

  • Re-authorize the connection. Remove and re-add the Apify connector in Claude Desktop to trigger a new OAuth flow.

Claude Desktop logs

Check the Claude Desktop logs for MCP-related errors:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/
  • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/logs/
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\

Look for files with mcp in the name for server-specific error messages.

One-click installation issues

The following troubleshooting steps apply specifically to the one-click installation method. The remote server runs entirely on Apify's infrastructure, so there are no local logs or configuration to debug. If you experience issues with the remote server, contact Apify support.

"Unable to connect to extension server" error

This is the most common issue. It typically appears when installing from the Claude Desktop connector directory. In some cases, the MCP server starts and communicates correctly, but Claude Desktop still shows the error.

  1. Consider switching to the remote server setup. The remote server is the most reliable option.
  2. Uninstall and reinstall the extension. In Claude Desktop, disable the Apify extension, remove it, then add it again.
  3. Clear the npx cache. A stale cache can cause connection failures. Follow the steps in Corrupted npx cache.
  4. Check the Claude Desktop logs for specific error messages.
  5. Check your network. Ensure your firewall or VPN is not blocking the connection.
  6. Still not working? Submit a GitHub issue or contact Apify support.

Corrupted npx cache

A stale or corrupted npx cache can prevent the server from starting. Clear the cache and retry:

rm -rf ~/.npm/_npx

After clearing the cache:

  1. Restart Claude Desktop to re-download the server package.
  2. Check the Claude Desktop logs for errors.
  3. If the issue persists, switch to the remote server setup, which doesn't rely on local packages.

Known limitations

  • Claude Desktop may silently downgrade an installed connector to an older version (for example, from 0.9.14 back to 0.9.6). This can cause tools to stop loading even though the connector still shows as enabled. Removing and re-adding the connector may prompt an update, but doesn't always resolve the issue.
  • Some Claude Desktop versions have inconsistent behavior with remote MCP server connections. Update to the latest version if you experience issues.
  • If the connector directory installation fails, use the remote server at https://mcp.apify.com instead.

Next steps